Summer Blossom
by Browny9
Summary: Link ends up stranded on Koholint Island, with no way to escape. There, he meets the young and beautiful Marin; suddenly, leaving the island isn't so important anymore... *Author Page For More Info*
1. Fateful Storm

Summer Blossom

Chapter 1

Fateful Storm

"It's a three week journey, Link. You sure you up to it?" The gruff voice of his uncle was riddled with worry. The young man across from him put his back into carrying another crate, and handed it to one of the sailors on the ship.

"I'll be fine, Uncle," Link told him, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow. "The sailors told me that some of Ganon's minions are still causing trouble in the north."

It had been only a few days since Link's perilous quest to rescue Zelda had come to an end. He had been commended and rewarded handsomely for his services to Hyrule and the Royal Family. But he knew until all of Ganon's forces were dealt with, Hyrule wasn't truly safe. It was for this reason that he volunteered to sail out to the northern regions. He couldn't take the fabled Master Sword with him, but in its place was his uncle's trusty blade, the very same sword that helped him through so many battles at the start of his journey. It felt like so long ago...

"I understand your desire to help the princess, Link," continued his uncle. "But she has plenty of soldiers left to take care of this! You've done your part, why not take a much deserved rest!"

His body could use it, and Link wouldn't deny it. Wading through the countless creatures and monstrosities under Ganon's command would take their toll on even the most hardened soldier. And Link wasn't a soldier to begin with; not to mention what he had gone through over the past few weeks was more than any Hylian had ever experienced. Not since the Hero of Legend, anyway.

"Sorry, Uncle," Link said, busying himself with yet another crate. "I just can't sit still. I know what those monsters are capable of, and I don't want them to cause anymore trouble for anyone."

And that wasn't entirely a lie, either. His body desired rest, but his mind feared slowing down. After so much time in the heat of battle, going from one life-or-death situation to the next, Link couldn't even begin to fathom a normal life in the countryside again. When word came of the troubles in the north, Link jumped at the opportunity to keep fighting.

"Looks like I won't be changing your mind," came his uncle's defeated voice. Link was silently thankful he had given up. "But at least promise me you'll be careful out there. Don't know what I'd do if you were to meet your end after everything you've endured."

Link smiled at his uncle, and went around the pile of crates to give him one final embrace. The older man didn't care that his nephew was drenched in sweat; he even had to fight back a tear. And it was a good thing he did, otherwise Link would be shedding tears himself.

"I'll be fine, Uncle. I'll be back home before you know it!"

And as if to break up this touching departure, Link heard the captain of the ship call out for the sailors to board and prepare to leave port. The other crewmen scrambled to load up the last of the crates Link had neglected. Link went to help, when his uncle held him back by the sleeve of his tunic.

"Hold up, son. There's someone here to see you off!" Link looked up from his uncle's face. The surprise on his face matched that of everyone else on the pier. Gasps and murmurs broke out as Hyrule's very own Princess Zelda made her presence known.

"Princess!" Link finally managed, before dropping to one knee. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"Please, stand," she instructed, bringing up his face with her index finger. The rest of the sailors stayed perfectly still, while Link's uncle merely kept his head down. His old bones wouldn't take kindly to kneeling like the rest of the men.

"Is there something you need, Princess?" Before Zelda could answer his question, the captain of the ship started screaming out from onboard his vessel. Everyone turned their attention towards him.

"What's the hold-up, you worthless-" his voice trailed off once his eyes caught a glimpse of the regal lady standing on the pier. Ashamed momentarily by his utter lack of manners, he removed his hat and bent his body in half from the deck of the ship.

"My apologies, Princess! I did not know you were there!"

"It is alright, captain. You and your men may carry on, I only need to speak to this man for a moment." Her voice was serene, almost angelic compared to the rough sounds produced by the male-dominated pier. Without hesitation, the crewmen got right back to work.

"What is it, Princess?" Link asked, eager to know why she paid a personal visit to the pier.

"I know you were the first to volunteer for this, Link. Your dedication to Hyrule is beyond admirable. But you still have time to reconsider."

"Forgive me, Princess, but you're not the first person to try and convince me." Link shot a glance at his uncle, who quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.

"I have a few of Hyrule's finest soldiers ready to depart. You don't have to feel obligated to take on this task, Link. You don't even have to do it alone."

First his uncle, now even the Princess was urging Link to remain in Hyrule. By now, anyone would think something was up. You could chalk it up to a sign, a warning that if Link got on that ship, something terrible would happen. And while the Link of yesteryear would consider all this a sign, the Link of today would hear nothing of it.

"Don't worry, Princess," he told her with a smile. That same, cheerful smile with which he first met the Princess in the Hyrule Castle dungeon.

"I'm happy to help the kingdom out."

The Princess was about to say something else, but stopped herself at the last possible moment. Link looked at her quizzically, but the Princess would not share whatever she held back. The captain called out to Link from the deck of the ship; the preparations for their departure were complete.

"Link," Zelda finally spoke, keeping the young man on the pier for just a few more seconds. "Take this."

Hidden in her hands this whole time was a small, blue trinket. Link hadn't noticed it until now. It was an ocarina, engraved on one side a Triforce. He took it in his hands, the instrument bringing up memories of a similar one he had used during his quest recently.

"They say," she continued, keeping her voice relatively low despite the noise around them, "that music has a profound power over things. That it's a magic all its own. Remember that for me; it might prove useful if you ever find yourself in trouble."

"I will, Princess," Link responded, clutching the ocarina and keeping it close to his chest. "Thank you."

"Your highness, we're all set to cast off!" The captain's voice echoed throughout the harbor. Link knew it was time to depart.

"Very well, captain!" She called out to him. "May your journey be blessed by the goddesses!"

"Aye! Alright, men! Open the sails!"

As the captain continued to shout commands to the crew, Link suddenly felt uneasy. Naturally, it had to happen now. He looked at the Princess, whose eyes displayed a fierceness unmatched by even the most valiant warrior. He could not fail those eyes. Steeling his resolve, Link turned around to board the ship. Once he was on, the drawbridge was retracted, the sails dropped, and the anchor raised.

From the pier, the Princess Zelda watched as the ship slowly pulled out from the harbor. Standing next to her was his uncle, waving proudly as his nephew shrank in the growing distance. Link waved at them both, watching with a heavy heart as they faded into the background. Once they were no longer visible, Link let out a heavy sigh.

He took the ocarina in his hand, and stared at the Triforce engraved on the side. He put it to his lips and blew some air into the instrument. As his fingers methodically covered and uncovered the holes on the side, a sad tune carried in the wind.

~o~

Another crack of thunder pierced the ears of every sailor on the ship. As the rain poured down on them like an angry waterfall, they scrambled about, desperate to keep the vessel afloat. This storm had appeared out of no where, a gathering of clouds right above their position in the middle of the night. It was as if the storm was sent by someone to strike the ship.

The captain was barking orders left and right, his hands glued to the steering wheel to keep their course steady. Link was up on the mast, trying his best to keep the sail restrained. Between the strong gusts, and the torrential downpour, Link was barely able to see more than a few feet in front of him. He could hear the captain screaming about something, but his ears were so clogged up with rainwater it was as gibberish. It only made the violent shake of the ship all the more surprising.

A powerful wave struck the ship's starboard side, and the impact threw Link off the mast. He clutched onto a loose rope, however, and was dangling off the side of the mast. Blinded by the rain, he could hear some of his fellow crew calling out his name. Clutching onto the rope for dear life, Link could feel his heart race as his grip on the rope was slipping.

It was in that moment that everything became visible. A bolt of lightning illuminated the entire ship for just one whole second. It was as if time slowed down; Link saw with his own eyes as the bolt touched down on the mast of the ship. With a deafening explosion, the wooden mast erupted, launching Link into the ocean. The damage reached down to the deck, tearing the vessel in the two. The rest of the crew abandoned ship en masse, with every man for himself.

Meanwhile, Link's body floated away from the wreckage. Clinging to a piece of wood, Link watched as the ship went under the surface of the angry sea. His eyelids growing heavy, Link collapsed on the fragment of the ship. His consciousness drifted away, as if into a dream.

~o~

Not only was the breeze on the beach relaxing that morning, but the tides had also brought Marin a gift. Tucked away in her satchel was a strange instrument, something she intended to inspect once she returned to her home in Mable Village. As she strolled down the beach, something else caught her eye. Sticking out of the sand was a blue rock of some sort.

"Wonder what this is?" She said to herself, as she tried to pull the strange rock out of the sand. The harder she pulled, the more she realized it wasn't actually a rock. With every tug, the item became more apparent. Finally, she freed heavy thing from the sand.

"A shield? What a strange thing to find," she mumbled to herself, inspecting the metallic object. Engraved on it were three triangles, arranged in such a way that they created a small pyramid. Marin had never seen such a marking in her life.

"What could it mean? Where did it come from?"

She turned the shield over, and found something else engraved on the opposite side. Etched into the wood were a few letters. Letters she could read. Passing her finger over them, she whispered the name they formed.

"Link..."

At that moment, something else washed up on shore. The body knocked her over as the tide forced it onto the beach. She let out a small yelp as she fell into the sand. She looked at whatever had washed up on shore, and promptly screamed when she realized it was a body. Once the initial shock had died down, she approached it slowly. The body was that of a young man, probably a little older than herself. Marin leaned in close, and realized he was still breathing!

"Father! Help! Someone's washed up on the beach!" She cried out to her parent in the distance. She looked down at the young man, finally taking into account his green tunic. This was the first time she had ever seen such strange clothes, and yet, there was a sense of familiarity about it all.

The man shook his head a little, as if he were having a nightmare. Marin kneeled down beside him, lifting his head gently and resting it on her lap. Her father, the stout Tarin, was jogging towards her position as quickly as his old legs could carry him. With him still a few moments away, Marin leaned in close to the young man's ear.

"Shhh..." she whispered into his ear. "It's okay. It's just a bad dream. I'm here, now. Please, wake up, Link."

In some small way, Marin's words reached Link. His face eased up, as if the nightmare in his mind's eye was being quelled. If only Link realized his nightmares were only just beginning.


	2. Koholint Island

Chapter 2

The Mysterious Island

"Help me. Please help me. I am a prisoner in the dungeon of the castle. My name is Zelda."

Memories of that night were common in Link's dreams. That desperate cry for help through Zelda's telepathy was what started everything. At the time, Link didn't even consider ignoring the plea, only doing whatever he could to help the wayward princess. He rushed outside, forcing his way through the storm that raged that fateful night, as well as the guards loyal to Agahnim. When he inherited his uncle's sword and shield, Link plunged into the depths of Hyrule Castle, rescuing the Princess Zelda from Agahnim's clutches and leading her to the safety of the church.

"You are a descendant of the Knights of Hyrule," Zelda had told him. "The only one not bewitched by Agahnim's evil magic. Can I count on you to help the Kingdom of Hyrule?"

"Of course. Anything for you, Princess."

Link never imagined at the time that Zelda's request would entail so much hardship. The courageous youth pushed open the doors of the church that morning, and set out for Kakariko Village.

~o~

"He's waking up!" Came a muffled voice from the darkness. Link opened his eyes, only to close them again as the light pained him.

"What a relief! You've been tossing and turning in your sleep, as if you were having a nightmare!" The voice was soft and comforting. Link almost recognized it.

"Zelda?" He asked, his voice coarse from the unimaginable amounts of seawater he probably consumed the night before.

"Zelda? No no, my name is Marin!"

As his senses began to readjust, Marin's voice cleared up. Link opened his eyes slowly, taking in the red-haired woman bit by bit as his vision focused. Clearly this wasn't Zelda, yet as her features became visible to the young man, he felt his heart go aflutter. Hers was a beauty he had never quite seen in all his years, more so than even the graceful Hylian royal from his homeland.

"Where am I?" Link asked, clearing his throat after asking the question. He took a quick glance around, seeing the worn walls of an old house all around him.

"This is our house," Marin told him with a smile. Quickly, Link felt his face flush red.

"O-Our?" He stammered, causing Marin herself to blush a bit with a giggle thrown in.

"She means our house, son." A second, gruff voice came from behind Marin. The owner approached his bedside, and looked down at Link from behind the young woman.

His face was familiar, almost like a younger version of Link's own uncle. Covering most of his lips was a thick, brown mustache, but even it couldn't hide the man's smile. Link's anxiety seemed to melt away; he couldn't imagine either of these people being dangerous in any way.

"The name's Tarin," he said, offering Link a handshake. Link sat up, and took hold of Tarin's hand. After a few strong shakes, the man continued the introductions.

"You've already met my daughter Marin. She's the one that found you washed up on the beach."

"Beach? What beach?"

"The Toronbo Shores, remember?" Jumped in Marin, eager to speak with the blonde youth. Link was still clearly confused.

"I'm sorry, I meant where am I? What part of Hyrule is this?" His question caused both Marin and Tarin to look at each other, then back at him. Just what had Link said that was so strange?

"Hyrule? This isn't 'Hyrule', son." Link's eyes went wide at Tarin's statement.

"So... where am I, then?"

"This is Koholint Island, Link," said Marin, her smile returning to her face.

"Koholint...? Wait, how did you know my name?"

Overjoyed that Link had finally asked, Marin clapped her hands together and ran over to the other side of the room. Link looked after her, and saw as she carried over something very familiar to him. It was his shield, the Triforce engraving still visible despite it being pretty banged up.

"Your name is Link, right? It was written on the back of this shield," she said, pointing at the small scratches on the backside of the defensive tool. Link had made the marks himself, shortly after setting sail a few days ago.

"Did you find anyone else?" Link asked, suddenly remembering the rest of the crew he was traveling with. "Our ship was caught in the storm last night, and a lightning bolt struck the ship."

"Sorry, son," said Tarin with a frown. "We didn't find anyone else. Just you, that shield, and one other thing."

"What was it?"

"Well, I couldn't be sure, but it might've been a weapon. Before I could fetch it, some monsters showed up. Had to carry you out of there, so I left it behind."

A weapon... his sword, Link thought to himself. Though it was strange that no one else, not even wreckage from his ship had managed to wash up on shore, Link knew he had to get his sword back. It was much more than just a sword, after all. Aside from his shield, it was the only other item that tied him to Hyrule. At that moment, he remembered something else. Link's hands shot towards his pockets, but naturally he found them to be empty.

"Something wrong, Link?" Marin asked. The young man gave his sides one final pat down, but of course the ocarina wouldn't just magically reappear in his pockets.

"N-Nothing," he lied, giving Marin an unconvincing smile. "Nothing at all."

Link finally forced himself out of bed, finding that he was feeling quite refreshed and energized. Even his left arm, which had taken quite a pounding during the storm the previous night, was feeling right as rain. He picked up his shield with his right arm, adjusting his shoulder to the weight. Tarin watched closely the entire time, while Marin couldn't help but smile in marvel. That same smile had Link a bit nervous, so he tried his best not to look directly at her, or in her general direction.

"So," Link finally said, "where's the shore where you found me?"

"Going to find your sword, are ya?" Tarin asked, a bit skeptical of the boy.

"It... means a lot to me," Link replied, carefully choosing his words. "And if there are monsters running around, I can deal with them. As thanks for helping me out."

"Well, the Toronbo Shores-"

"-Are down south," Marin cut in, "not too far from the village. I can take you there, if you'd like!"

Link wasn't sure how to respond to Marin's offer, and looked to Tarin for some hint. Marin followed his gaze, and Tarin was put in quite the awkward position.

"You heard the lady, Link," he finally said. "She knows the way just as well as me. Let her guide you down there."

Marin literally cheered at her father's approval, and ran to her room to collect her things. In the short moment she was out of earshot, Tarin leaned in close to Link to whisper something.

"Take care of her, ya hear? Those monsters might still be around."

"Yes, sir," Link said rigidly. "I'll make sure she stays safe."

Once Marin returned, the two young people set out from the house. Link half-expected to recognize the place, but of course that wasn't the case. The town wasn't very big, with only a handful of houses making up the place. Marin noticed Link was lost in the sights, and cleared her voice to catch his attention.

"This is Mabe Village," she told him. "It's not much, but it is the biggest village in the whole island!"

"How long have you lived here?" Link asked, wondering how such a small settlement could've lasted with so few residents.

"For as long as I can remember," Marin answered. Link looked at her, which made her smile cheerfully. She couldn't be older than he was, he guessed, so that means the village had probably stood for at least a dozen years or more.

"Come on! The beach is this way, Link!"

Marin grabbed hold of Link's left arm, dragging him out of the village. Though his mind was still trying to make sense of all this, he put it on hold as the two made their way down to the shores. After all, he couldn't very well ignore Marin as she started to talk to him about all sorts of things!

~o~

Getting information out of Marin reminded Link of his first journey, and the very first task he had to accomplish, as well. Without Kakariko's elder, the wise Sahasrahla, Link didn't even know where to begin his search for the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane. To make matters worse, Agahnim had already spread false rumors of the Princess's abduction, forcing Link to be discreet in his own hometown. Every street corner had guards posted, ready to apprehend him.

At the time, Link had to team up with the most unlikely companion. Her name was Ghanti, a thief looking to earn a fortune by turning in Princess Zelda to Agahnim. Neither traveler trusted each other, but when things got ugly they'd always bail each other out. And after every such skirmish, Ghanti would always try to mine the location of Zelda out of Link. Of course, he never said a word. But all his own questions regarding Ghanti's past were blocked by the fiendish bandit girl.

And things were looking the same for Link when it came to Marin. No matter what he asked the girl, she'd either dodge the question or answer with something of a giggle. She wasn't being uncooperative; she just didn't seem to know much about the island itself.

"My father's explored most of the island," Marin said, answering another of Link's questions. "I've gone with him often, but I don't know it as well as he does."

"But is there any way off it? A port, a ship... anything?" Marin stopped dead in her tracks, then turned to face Link.

"I-I think the place where we found you is right over there," she said, pointing towards the ocean. She was dodging the question, much like every other attempt Link had thrown at her. Why didn't she want to say anything about how to leave the island? Was Link being held prisoner there? What would Marin and Tarin gain from keeping him on the island, and how would they stop him from merely forcing the information out of them?

Link shook his head, unable to imagine he was entertaining the thought. Harming these people? Had he really let that thought even form in his mind? His memory flashed to his time with Ghanti. At one point, he had become that desperate. Desperate enough to use force to get information out of the girl. It was a low point in his adventures around Hyrule.

Before he allowed himself to drown in guilt and painful memories, he looked to where Marin was pointing. Sure enough, wedged in the sand by the tide was a sword, begging to be extracted and recovered.

"We've been lucky," Link said as he walked towards the sword. "No monsters."

Of course, his very claim was the jinx, and emerging from beneath the sand, two monsters sprung out. They were green, with a set of three sharp horns surrounding a mouth with dozens of teeth. They were creatures Link had faced before.

"Leevers! Marin, stay back!"

The young lady did as she was told, allowing Link to face both monsters head on. Without the sword, there wasn't much he could do to harm them, but he could still keep them at bay with his shield. Using his right arm and the slab of metal and wood, he reflected the Leevers' attempts to impale him with their long teeth. After a few failed attempts, the Leevers retreated into the sand, giving Link a clear shot to the sword. He blasted forward in a sprint, reaching the sword before the monsters resurfaced.

As his hand touched the blade, memories of retrieving the Master Sword flooded his mind's eye. The sanctuary of the fabled weapon had been hidden in the Lost Woods, a heavily forested region of Hyrule. Centuries had eroded what was once a grand temple surrounding the pedestal where the sword rested, yet it as well as the blade were intact; proof of a powerful magic safeguarding the sword. Were it only in his hands now, instead of the blade he held there on the beach.

"Link, watch out!"

Marin's voice brought Link back to the beach, where the two Leevers were about to make short work of the green-clad adventurer. In one swift movement, Link drew the sword from the sand, spun around, and cleaved both monsters in two. He held his ground for a couple seconds following that, and watched as both monsters erupted into a cloud of black mist. The dark cloud dissipated with a low groan, something Link couldn't quite explain.

Link held his recovered sword high in the air, letting the light of the sun reflect off the blade for a moment. This was only the beginning of his newest journey. To return to Hyrule, and escape Koholint Island.


	3. The Tail Cave Ruins

Chapter 3

The Tail Cave Ruins

The sound of the tide was calming. With the threat of the monsters gone, Link and Marin took a short break to relax by the water. The wind coming from the ocean was warm, yet still refreshed both young people. Link removed his green cap, scratching the back of his head as the awkwardness of the silence between them got to him.

"Weren't you scared, Link?" Marin was the first to break the silence between them.

"A little, yeah," he replied, not thinking to puff his chest out a bit and gloat. The chance gone, he remained quiet until Marin spoke again.

"Where... where did you come from, again?" Link looked over at her. She didn't look back at him; she just stared out to the sea.

"Hyrule," Link answered. "It's a country called Hyrule."

"Is it beautiful?"

"I think so, yeah. I lived there my whole life, so I wouldn't call it a bad place." Though what Agahnim and Ganon had done in their short time reigning over the kingdom would discourage anyone.

"Is that why you want to leave Koholint Island so badly?" Link quickly realized where Marin was taking this conversation. He sighed, unsure how to answer this latest question.

"I just want to go home," he finally managed after a few tense seconds. "Wouldn't you want to come back here, if you were lost somewhere else?"

"No."

Her reply was quick and emotionless. Absolute, even. Link looked at her with shock clear on his face. She noticed, but chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, she dug around the bag she had prepared and produced a harp. She started pulling at some strings, producing a melody that would drown out the previous conversation. Link was smart enough to oblige her, and asked about the harp, instead.

"You play it well," he commented. It wasn't much, but he needed an opening line first.

"Thanks," she said, trying her best to hide a slight blush. "It's a magical harp, you know."

"Really? Magical instruments also exist back in Hyrule." Rather than be charmed or interested in that little observation, Marin's mood soured, and her melody came to a halt as she missed a note. Link realized it was because he mentioned Hyrule again, though the damage was already done.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Marin shook her head, but didn't look at him directly.

"No, I should be the one saying I'm sorry. It's not your fault, Link." Link could hear the quiver in her voice, as if she was on the verge of tears. She was keeping something bottled up inside. A secret of some kind, something she couldn't share or didn't dare share with the young man. He just didn't have the heart to ask directly, and tact wasn't exactly his forte.

So he said nothing. His gaze turned to the ocean, to the beach, to anything else that would give him a new topic to latch onto. Marin wiped something from her face, though Link couldn't make out what it was. He guessed it to be a tear, but looking at her directly at this point would only make things worse between them.

"You know why I kept avoiding your questions earlier? About how you wanted a way off the island?" Finally, Link's interest was truly piqued. Link closed in, not wanting to miss a word of anything Marin was about to say. It made it all the more awkward when she turned to face him at last, and their faces were no more than a few inches apart.

The stared into each others' eyes for a brief moment, then pulled away in opposite directions. Both let out some half-hearted chuckles, and both looked away until their faces cooled down.

"S-So, you were saying?" Link asked.

"R-Right... um, there is no way." The moment from before vanished in the blink of an eye. Link turned to look Marin directly in the eye.

"What do you mean, 'there is no way'?" She instinctively started playing with her hair, which didn't ease Link's worries.

"It's why I dodged the question, Link. There is no way off Koholint Island. No one has ever been able to leave..."

Link's expression went blank. He turned to the ocean, the waves gently forcing the tide onto the beach. Was it because of some current? The ocean seemed calm enough, he thought. Or was it some kind of curse? Were the people on the island being held captive by some kind of monster? There had to be some explanation, even if Marin wasn't willing to give it to him. He stood up, and turned to look at the island proper.

As a matter of fact, this was the first time he ever bothered to look at the island itself. The forest beyond the beach was nothing special, nor the mountain beyond that. However, as Link's gaze climbed, and the mountain turned into a peak, something caught his eye. Something like this should have been mentioned by Marin by now, and yet...

"There's a giant egg up there," Link said out loud, too stunned to rephrase it. Marin looked up at the egg in question, but didn't think twice about it being out of place.

"It's the Wind Fish's Egg," she told him with a smile. "It's been there since forever."

That was an awfully strange way to regard a gigantic egg resting upon the mountaintop. Even after everything Link had experienced while in Hyrule, he had never seen something so out of place and outright bizarre. Marin noticed he was still shocked, and shed a bit more light on it.

"They say the Wind Fish is sleeping in that egg, and that when he wakes up, he'll allow whomever woke him to leave the island." The explanation was almost too perfect.

But as those words reached Link's elongated ears, he instantly knew what he had to do to. He looked down at Marin, resolve written clearly on his face. She saw it, too; though her reaction wasn't shock or fear that Link would be leaving, but a glimmer of hope.

"How do we wake the Wind Fish?" He asked calmly.

"We'll need eight instruments. The Instruments of the Sirens!"

~o~

In order to save Hyrule, Link had to traverse the Golden Land, warped into a dark version of Hyrule itself, and rescue the seven maidens Agahnim imprisoned there. Before Agahnim could accomplish this task, he had to find the seventh maiden: Princess Zelda. Thanks to Link's efforts, she was safely hidden in the church north of Hyrule Castle. He never found out how Agahnim's soldiers discovered her hiding place, but he had one inclination.

Ghanti. The girl thief whom had traveled with him for some time on his quest to retrieve the Master Sword. At one point during their adventure together, she turned on Link when he revealed he was a Hylian. Though he never outright said Zelda was in the church, he mentioned the building as the starting point of his search several times to the girl. The possibility that Ghanti pieced it together and sold them out to Agahnim stayed with him the entire time.

When Zelda was taken, Link had already acquired the Master Sword. Despite his brave charge into Hyrule Castle, Agahnim succeeded in banishing not only Zelda but Link into the twisted Dark World. The maidens, Zelda included, were all locked away deep within labyrinths guarded by Ganon's most powerful monsters. Once Link had rescued all of them, he thought his days of dungeon exploration were behind him. Until now, on Koholint Island.

Marin explained that the Eight Instruments of the Sirens were magical tools, used by a group of beautiful women to lure sailors to Koholint Island. Once there, they would be forever trapped, slaves to the sirens and their every whim. This, of course, was just a legend. However, the instruments themselves were real, and the magic they possessed was also real. As proof, Marin handed Link her harp.

"It's one of the instruments: the Surf Harp."

"How do you know it's magical, though?" Link asked. It was ornate and aged, but there was no telltale sign it was a magical item.

To demonstrate, Marin took back the instrument, and started to play a melody on it. As the notes strung together to create music, the strings of the harp began to glow, and release small waves of colored light all around Marin. Link watched in awe, until Marin stopped playing altogether.

"That was the Ballad of the Wind Fish, a song passed down from our ancestors. They say it was the very song used to lure sailors to this island in the first place, and it's the only song that can wake the Wind Fish. It'll only work when all the instruments are brought together in front of the egg."

And where were the rest of the instruments located? All over the island, Marin explained.

"They're locked away, deep down in ruins around the island. My father managed to find this one in a place called the Angler's Tunnel, and it nearly cost him his life to get it out. We'll have to find the rest together!"

Back in Hyrule, it was to rescue the maidens. Now, he was going back into ruins and dungeons to retrieve magical instruments. It was like reliving an old nightmare, and it only got worse when Marin led him directly to the first ruin she could think of. She called it the 'Tail Cave'.

Statues of monsters adorned the courtyard before the cavern entrance. Link removed some of the moss from one of the statues, only to be surprised by the fangs of a creature he knew all-too well. That same creature adorned the entrance to the cave, its segmented body forming an archway. Marin called Link over to the entrance, not frightened at all by the decorations.

"Moldorms," Link told her, pointing out the creature that made up the doorway into the cave. "I fought a lot of these creatures during my last journey."

"Was Hyrule also filled with monsters?"

"Not always." Link answered, peering into the cave. "Not until Agahnim and Ganon showed up."

"Who were they?" Marin was curious, as curious as any teenager would be. Link gave her a weak smile as he set foot into the cave.

"Agahnim was a wizard that took over Hyrule Castle. His plan was to banish seven maidens into another world, so that the seal on the Golden Land would be broken." Link explained to Marin as they explored the first room of the cave. Despite its name, it was more of a dungeon or temple than an actual cave.

"The Golden Land? What's that?" Link sighed, almost forgetting that Marin didn't know anything about the world outside the island. He'd have to explain everything from the beginning.

"Haven't you ever heard of the Triforce?" Link figured it was best to ask this first. No matter where you were, the myth of creation was typically the same, he figured. The three Goddesses created Hyrule, then departed, leaving behind the Triforce, a physical symbol and representation of their power. Any who touch it would be granted infinite power for a single, solitary desire.

"No..." Came Marin's response to the question. Link stopped his search to look her straight in the eyes.

"The Goddesses...?" Again, Marin denied with a simple shake of her head. Link sighed, and continued his exploration of the ruins.

"Forget it," he told her, choosing not to waste his breath anymore. Explaining the creation of Hyrule to Marin now would be too much effort, and there was still a persistent sense of danger in this place. Link noticed his words were harsh, however, when Marin's breathing got a bit heavier. He turned to her, seeing her head down and her eyes welling up.

Before he could offer an apology, however, the telltale rattle of a Moldorm's tail caught his ear. Link spun around, sword in one hand and shield in the other, only to be pushed aside by the giant monster. He dropped his sword in the process, forcing him to watch as the Moldorm wrapped its massive tail around the petrified Marin. With her in tow, the creature gave Link a taunting rattle of its tail, before heading deeper into the ruins.

"Link! Help me!" Her scream was teeming with terror. A cry for help that brought Link back to Zelda's kidnapping.

When he learned of Zelda's abduction from the church, it had been through telepathy. Agahnim's soldiers had stormed the church, murdered the priest, and took her captive. And though Link ran as fast as his legs would carry him back to the church, they were long gone. With his dying breath, the priest told Link how to get into the secret chamber where Agahnim would banish the Princess.

Link wasted no time in running to her aid. And he wasted no time in running to Marin's aid now.

The youth scrambled for his sword on the other end of the room, then sprinted after the giant monster. He made a promise to Tarin, that he'd protect Marin from any harm. Not only that, the thought of Marin being hurt...

Link could feel his heart skip a beat in terror.

~o~

Marin's screams echoed throughout the silent halls of the Tail Cave. Though Link was running as fast as he could, the sheer size of the Moldorm was enough to keep it ahead of him with ease. To make matters worse, minions of the great beast were making themselves known to Link, to bar his path. Minions that Link never expected to see again.

"Moblins?" He said to himself, watching the beasts as they prepared to strike at him. "Ganon's dead, you shouldn't even exist!"

One of the Moblins lunged its spear at Link, which he deftly blocked with his shield. That weapon was real enough, he figured, so it would be just like old times. As he strafed around the Moblins, taking well-timed strikes at each of them, Link pondered the thought of 'old times'. The fact that he could refer to the grueling ordeal of the Dark World as 'old times' dampened his spirits. As he made short work of the monsters before him, he secretly longed for the peaceful life he once had. Yet, that same longing scared him to his very core. After all, that's why he jumped on that ship in the first place.

The last of the Moblins were slain, its corpse vanished into a puff of dark smoke that moaned as it dissipated. Link took a step forward, when he felt the presence of something behind him. He turned around, shield up and sword at the ready. Perched on top of a collapsed pillar was an owl.

"Hoot... the lad whom owns the sword," it spoke, its voice deep and meaningful. Link lowered his guard slightly.

"Who are you?"

"Hoot, a guide. You seek the Eight Instruments of the Sirens to escape Koholint Island, do you not?" Link's eyes widened.

"How did you know?"

"I speak for the Wind Fish, hoot hoot. The Wind Fish has slept for too long; things are not as they should be. Nightmares have clouded his dream." Nightmares... that's almost what Link would call these monsters he'd been fighting all along.

"So can you help me? Marin has been taken by that Moldorm!"

"Hoot, I can only do what the Wind Fish allows. Seek the ruins in the swamp for the next instrument."

And just as suddenly as the owl had appeared, it took flight and left the cave. A single feather dropped from its wings as it did, which slowly blew towards Link. He caught the feather in his hand, noticing it was actually of a red hue, clearly not from the brown owl's wings. Link could feel a newfound strength in his feet as he touched the feather.

"Might be what I need," he mumbled to himself, before turning around and continuing his sprint after the Moldorm that took Marin.

He was forced to stop cold in his tracks, though when he came across a huge gap. He peered into the darkness, seeing no end to the fall. Jumping across was risky, as the distance would be too much for even a running jump. From the other side, Link could hear the rattle of the Moldorm's tail, followed by another scream from Marin. He had to make this jump. Link looked at the feather in his hand, feeling that strength in his feet again. The owl was helping him; he was sure of it.

Link took a few steps back, but not too many. A deep breath later, he shot forward with all the might his legs could muster. He leapt across the gap in the ground, feeling his body almost floating across the room. He touched down on the other side of the gap, having jumped a distance no normal person ever could've managed on their own. Thanking the owl again under his breath, Link ran ahead into the next room.

There, he came face to face with the Moldorm, which was eagerly awaiting the young man. The rattle of his tail was enough of a signal to have Link jump high into the air, avoiding a powerful swing that would've probably smashed his ribcage in. From beyond the creature, he could hear Marin screaming for help. Link tightened his grip on the blade in his left hand, and took one step forward.

The Moldorm took the bait, and dove in to crush the young man with one bite from its massive mandibles. Making use of the feather again, Link leapt clean over the beast's head, and landed on its back. Running down the massive worm's body, he reached the tail, tossed his shield to the ground, and drove his sword directly into the joint between the rattle and the rest of its body. The creature writhed about in agony, but Link did not budge an inch from his position. With a simple twist of his hand, the blade severed the tail from the rest of the body.

The Moldorm cried out in pain, but that cry was quickly silenced as the body of the creature turned pitch black. Much like every other monster he had defeated thus far, the Moldorm erupted into a cloud of darkness, which dissipated with a groan. The only thing left behind was the creature's rattle tail, which Link kicked off into a corner of the room.

"Link? Are you there?" Marin's voice came from the room just up ahead. Link ran over to the stone door, forcing it open with his bare hands. On the other side was the redhead, her eyes almost as red from the tears she had shed.

"Are you-" Before Link could even finish asking the question, Marin threw her arms around him. Slowly, he placed his own hands on her back, holding her close. She was sobbing, but the fear was gone. These were sobs of joy.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, so low it was almost inaudible. Link smiled, though she couldn't see him.

"Anytime."

Just beyond where they stood embracing one another was an instrument on a pedestal. The Full Moon Cello, its strings glowing much like the harp in Marin's satchel.


	4. Mysterious Forest

Chapter 4

Beyond the Forest

The sun was setting as Link and Marin returned to Mabe Village. The cello they had recovered from the Tail Cave was surprisingly heavy, so Link had to carry it with both arms.

"It's a good thing," he said, striking up conversation with Marin, "your dad found that harp instead of something like this. He never would've been able to get it out if a monster were chasing him!"

Marin giggled, no doubt trying to imagine Tarin running off with that particular instrument in his arms. Her smile soothed Link's heart, and caused him to smile in turn.

"Father might not be happy," she said, "when we get back."

"Why not?"

"He knows how dangerous those ruins are. He'll probably cause a scene because we went in there." She didn't sound particularly worried. On the contrary, it was almost as if she was anticipating some sort of punishment.

"It's okay, I'll just tell him I went in alone."

"No, it's okay," Marin insisted. "I'd rather not lie to him. I'll tell him we went inside together, and that you kept me safe from the monsters."

"I thought you said you'd get in trouble?" Marin giggled, then looked up at Link.

"I think I'm a bit too big to go over his lap for a spanking." Her comment got Link laughing freely for a change. Watching him, Marin felt her heart go aflutter in her chest. She felt her face go warm.

"Marin, where's the swamp?" The sudden change in topic snapped Marin out of her dreamy daze.

"To the north of the village, past the Mysterious Forest. Why?"

"There's another instrument there, right? Some more ruins or another cave?" Marin nodded, confirming what the owl had told him. Link didn't exactly want to say it was an owl that shared that information with him, but at least he knew the owl was being honest.

"Father knows a way through the forest," Marin added. "He goes there often to collect mushrooms. You can ask him for directions when we get back."

"You don't know how to get there yourself?" Link asked, not fond of the idea of having Tarin lead the way.

"I went with him once or twice, but I don't remember the way too much. Why?" The question threw Link off balance for a moment.

"O-Oh, just asking, is all," he stammered, looking away from her. "Would've been nice if we went there together, just like today."

Those words had escaped Link's lips without him even realizing it. He swallowed hard, and glanced shyly in Marin's direction. Her face was red, but the smile she wore with it hinted at her true feelings. The moment was tense, but Link knew he only said that because he really meant it. He had known this girl for only a day, and already he could feel his heart longing for her.

Her hand was free at her side, he realized. He adjusted the cello so that it rested on his shoulder, while his left arm held it steady against his body. With his right hand free, he slowly reached out to grab hold of Marin's hand. Rather than pull away when she felt his touch, she gently grabbed back. As the sun set behind them, they entered Mabe Village together.

Hand in hand.

~o~

Night fell on the island, and still Tarin hadn't returned home. It was clear for Link to see that Marin was worried about her father, yet she insisted Tarin would show up eventually.

"He's always like this," she told Link several times over the course of the evening. "I'm sure he'll burst through that door any minute now with a bag full of mushrooms!"

But the hour grew later, the village lights went out one by one, and still Tarin was a no-show. Link chose to sit outside as Marin prepared his bed, to keep an eye out for the missing man. From time to time, he'd look up at the sky, and just doze off as he stared at the stars. He'd wonder if the Princess Zelda knew of the ship's disaster yet, and if so, was she worried about him? Link shook his head.

"She wouldn't even be thinking of me," he mumbled to himself. Why would the Princess worry about him?

"Who's 'she'?" Marin's voice startled Link, which only made her more suspicious of this 'she'.

"N-Nothing! No one! I'm just talking to myself," he lied, trying his best not to confess he was thinking of Zelda. The last thing he needed was for Marin to get jealous and force him outside in the cold... rather, warm. The night was muggy.

"Link, who is 'she'?" Marin asked again, proving she wasn't just about to let this slip by again. Link stood up, putting a bit of distance between them.

"I'm telling you, it's nothing to worry about..."

"It's Zelda, isn't it?" Link's face went white.

"H-How did you...?" Marin's expression formed a fiendish smirk.

"You mentioned her name when you woke up this morning, remember? I didn't give it much thought until now. Who's Zelda?"

Link had to hand it to Marin; when she wanted, she could be quite crafty and attentive. Figuring his cover was blown, Link sighed and resigned himself to confessing. He wouldn't tell her everything that happened, but enough to get Marin off his back. He sat down on the porch again, with Marin sitting right beside him.

"Zelda..." Link's voice trailed off for a moment. Should he say she was a princess?

"Zelda...?" Marin repeated, expecting more.

"She's a princess," he said, bluntly. "She's the princess of Hyrule."

Marin's face went through a few different expressions rapidly, but Link caught them all. From surprise to joy, joy to worry, worry to anger.

"You mean... you and the princess...?"

"What? No! No, not at all!" Link was quick to dispel that assumption, both for Marin's sake and his own. "I mean, she's beautiful and all, but she's the princess!"

"But you keep thinking about her," Marin said, looking at Link carefully. "Do you... like her?"

Talk about being put on the spot. Link wanted desperately to look away from her, but those big, brown eyes, sparkling in the starlight were too enchanting to turn away from. Marin wanted an honest answer, and it was up to Link to swallow his reservations and give it to her.

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered. "She's really pretty, you know? Kinda hard not to like her..."

Marin's expression got worse, and it took Link a few seconds too long to realize what he was saying. He might not be the best ladies' man, but he knew when certain things could hurt a girl's feelings.

"I see why you want to leave Koholint Island so badly," Marin said, utterly dejected.

"Marin, it's not that. The Princess entrusted me to something to do, and I have to go back and let her know what happened. If the rest of the people on the ship were killed I have to go back and let her know!" Link knew he wasn't making a strong case for himself, but it was either that or admit he wanted to see Zelda again. At that moment, he realized he was lying again.

"It's okay," Marin said, turning away from Link slightly. "I'll promise to help you find the rest of the instruments. You can't do it without a guide to the island, or my harp."

She was trying her best to hide her pain, but it was slipping through her quivering lower lip. Link knew he had hurt her feelings, feelings he acknowledged only hours ago. Feelings he shared, and that were developing despite his efforts to prevent that very occurrence.

"Marin," Link said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders, "you said earlier that you didn't want to be on this island. Why don't you come with me?"

She looked up at Link. Her eyes, watery from welled up tears, sparkled even brighter in the starlight. Link could feel his heart skip a few beats as he stared into her eyes.

"You mean...?"

"Yes. We can leave the island together. We'll wake the Wind Fish together, and ask to leave together." It was as if the thought never occurred to Marin herself.

"We hardly know each other, Link," she replied, suddenly unsure of herself or the proposition. "How could we just-"

Link cut her off by placing his finger on her lips. The sudden action made Marin jump a little, but she did not fight back. Link removed his finger, and stared into her brown eyes.

"I haven't known you for very long," he started, choosing his words carefully, "but it hasn't taken me long to realize that my feelings for you are greater than anything else in the world right now. You want to leave Koholint Island as much as I do; why not leave together?"

The tears in Marin's eyes threatened to escape. In her heart of hearts, she never would've imagined this. That Link would share that childish crush; that love at first sight was real. She didn't have to say anything to him, only nod her head slightly in affirmation. Link smiled, and dared to go one step further.

He leaned in closer to her face, and she to his. Their lips locked in a soft embrace underneath the starry night. If only this moment would last forever.

"Marin!" A shrill voice shattered their moment. It wasn't Tarin's but that of an old lady. Of course, both young people pulled away from each other in the blink of an eye, doing their best to make themselves presentable.

"Mrs Ulrira! What's wrong?" Marin did her best to remove traces of her tears before the old woman approached, but there just wasn't enough time.

"Oh Marin, I just heard from Papahl! Your father's been bewitched somehow in the Mysterious Forest! Are you alright?" Fortunately, it seemed as if the old lady hadn't caught them kissing. Link was beyond relieved.

"What? I-I didn't know! I've been down by the beach all day with Link!"

"Link? Who's that?" The old woman looked past the young lady, seeing the boy in green sitting on the porch. "Who are you?"

"Didn't you hear, Mrs Ulrira? He washed up on the shore this morning! I've been down by the beach with him all day helping him find his things." Link could tell, even in the dim light and at a distance, that the woman still didn't trust him.

"Are you sure you'll be alright in the house with him? Papahl is willing to search for your father in the morning, but I'd feel much better if you stayed with us tonight, instead of with that stranger."

"It's okay, Mrs Ulrira, I'm-"

"Okay with staying at your place, ma'am," Link cut in, answering for Marin. She looked back at him, stunned at his decision.

"Link?"

"She's right, Marin. I'm a newcomer here, I'll be okay staying in your house alone until morning. You go with her, so she won't be so worried about us being alone." Those words made Marin blush a deep crimson all over again, making her all the more adorable to watch.

"You heard the young man. Gather your things, dear." Mrs Ulrira was eager to return home, so she practically forced Marin back into the house. Link followed her in, and watched as she packed a couple things into her satchel.

"Why'd you do that, Link?" She asked, a bit disappointed she couldn't stay the night with Link. She honestly felt like she were being babied by the very boy who had a crush on her.

"She'd probably have a sleepless night worrying about us," Link replied. "Just go and rest. Tomorrow, we'll head up into the forest and find Tarin, I promise."

Marin finished packing her things and threw the satchel over her shoulder. She walked by Link, and gently pecked his cheek as she went out the door. The sudden gesture made him blush a bit. He watched from the door as both ladies disappeared into the dark of night.

There was no sense lying to himself anymore. Link had fallen for Marin, and there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her happy.

~o~

Not even the morning sun was enough to dispel the darkness of the forest ahead of them. It seemed Marin was afraid of the dark, as she remained close to Link as they entered the forest, even going so far as to clutch onto his arm along the way. All around them, they could hear animals scurrying about the trees, making it hard for them to focus on any potential danger cues.

"Tell me about the forest, Marin," whispered Link to his traveling companion.

"Why? Wouldn't it be better to stay quiet, so no one can hear us?" While Marin did have a point, Link wanted her to relax and ease up off his arm. Getting her to talk and become distracted was the easiest way.

"Well, maybe. But it'd help if I knew a bit more about this place, so we can find your dad faster."

Marin hesitated at first, but eventually she started talking about the forest. According to local legend, an evil witch lived in the forest, and she was the one that cursed people that got close to her hut. According to Marin, her father was always careful never to go too deep into the forest for that reason. If that was the case, the witch probably found Tarin herself. Link kept that little guess to himself, though.

"Link, look!" Marin stopped her story to point out a discarded bag on the side of the beaten path. She ran over to it, and instantly recognized it.

"It's Dad's! There's a bunch of mushrooms inside, more than what he usually brings back home!" She looked around the immediate area, finding nothing but a few more mushrooms on the ground. Link kneeled down beside her, picking up one of the mushrooms. This one had been bitten by someone or something. It was giving off quite a powerful stench.

"And your dad eats these?"

"He's very strange," was all Marin could come up with as a response. Link figured they must be safe to eat, so he went in to take a bite. In that instant, he heard a high-pitched cackle come from beyond the line of trees. Dropping the mushroom, he drew his sword and prepared to defend Marin against the witch.

She actually didn't take more than few seconds to make herself known to them. Though Link was ready to fight, and Marin had moved to a safe distance, the old witch did not move at first. When her eye caught a glimpse of the mushrooms on the ground, however, she bent over to pick one up.

"Which of you two ate from this toadstool?" She asked, her voice raspy for some reason. Link and Marin glanced at each other for a moment.

"We don't know," she told the witch. "But it might've been my father."

"That would explain the ill air of the forest," the witch mumbled to herself. She tossed the mushroom to a side, and picked a fresh one nearby. She broke the stem in half, took a quick whiff, then pocketed the fungus.

"You two might want to follow me," she advised. "There is no need for that sword, either, young man."

Before Link sheathed his blade, he watched as the witch forced the shrubberies to make a path deeper into the forest. He was still a bit on edge regarding the witch, while Marin's fears seemed to have vanished into thin air. She started after the witch, causing Link to grab onto her shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"She said to follow her. We should hurry before we lose her!"

"You're the one who said the witch was evil," Link reminded her. She simply shrugged her shoulders.

"It was a just a silly rumor, I guess. If she was evil, she'd attack us instead of invite us to her house."

Marin ran after the witch, leaving Link behind to gawk at this sudden development. Not every witch had to be evil, that much was true. Memories of the great witch Syrup in Hyrule was all Link needed to be reassured. Sheathing his weapon, he followed the two women deeper into the forest.

The witch's hut was just on the edge of the forest. That same stench that emerged from the bitten mushroom filled the air around her hut, leading Link to assume she was cooking the mushroom. Marin was standing just outside the door, covering her nose.

"She's making something for us." She told Link, her voice squeaky as she held her nose. "But it smells worse inside than out here."

"Don't worry, I'll go inside," Link said, trying his best to not be bothered by the smell. Of course, that plan backfired when he swung open the door to the hut. The odor struck him like a sucker punch, and Link did his best to keep his breakfast inside his stomach. Marin couldn't help but laugh at him, which made him feel all the more embarrassed by that pitiful display. Fortunately for Link, he didn't have to set foot inside the house. The witch delivered whatever she was making right to him at the front door.

"This is magic powder," she said, handing him a small leather pouch. "One pinch of this will cure the man whom ate the toadstool in the forest."

"Thanks, but are you sure he's in the forest? How can we find him?"

"He was right next to you the whole time. Beware the raccoon." With that cryptic warning, the witch slammed her door shut, blasting Link one last time with that terrible odor. Their business done, they both hastened their step back into the forest, and away from that smell.

"What a weird old witch," Link commented. "She's nothing like the one back in Hyrule."

"Maybe they know each other! She said her name was Syrup." Marin's words stopped Link in his tracks. The witch's name... was Syrup? Just like the witch that lived by Zora's River? Could such a coincidence be possible? How common was that name?

"Link? Something wrong?"

"Nothing, just had to clear my nose of that bad smell." Marin giggled, and continued ahead. Link was getting surprisingly good at lying, though it wasn't a trait he wanted to get better at. He turned his head back to the witch's hut, wondering if her being named Syrup had any significance.

Following her advice all the same, they returned to the spot where they found Tarin's bag. Of course, Tarin was no where to be found, but like Syrup had hinted, there was an animal nearby. It was a raccoon, though it was considerably larger than any raccoon either of them had ever seen. Marin went to pet it, but Link pulled her back.

"Remember what Syrup said? Beware the raccoon."

The animal looked at them closely, but didn't run or make any sudden moves. Instead, Link closed the distance between them, the pouch of magic dust in his hand. The raccoon did nothing as Link dug into the pouch for a pinch of the magic powder, and sprinkled it on the raccoon's nose. As the powder worked its magic, the raccoon reeled back to sneeze. Link backed away, blocking Marin from anything that might happen.

The raccoon sneezed, which came out as a powerful gust of wind and a bright flash. When Link and Marin were able to see again, it was Tarin lying down on the ground where the raccoon used to be.

"Dad!" Marin screamed out, running over to embrace him. The man was still in a bit of a daze, but he was all the same happy to see his daughter again.

"Marin, I had the strangest dream," he started, rubbing his forehead. "That I was a giant raccoon."

"You just passed out from eating a bad mushroom," said Link. Marin looked up at him, and decided to back his story.

"Yeah, we found you right here. When you didn't come home last night, I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry, Marin. That's the last time that'll ever happen to me. I promise I'll stay away from mushrooms for a while."

The situation didn't call for something so drastic, but Marin was happy all the same. It would be a couple hours before Tarin could walk again, so Marin suggested she and Link continue to the swamp in the meantime. The old man still knew his way back home, so he promised that he would head back soon as his legs would let him. He also didn't bother to ask why the two were on their way to the swamp.

After being rescued by them, Tarin wouldn't dare cause a ruckus for his daughter and her new love interest. After all, he wasn't blind to her attraction to Link.


	5. Goponga Swamp

Chapter 5

Goponga Swamp

"Eww," remarked Marin, as muddy water made its way between her exposed toes. "Why didn't I borrow father's old boots?"

"You knew we were coming to the swamp, you probably should've thought ahead." A swift punch to the shoulder was Link's reward for pointing that out. He pretended it hurt, though Marin wasn't buying the act.

"If only Mrs Ulrira hadn't bothered us last night, I would've remembered."

"You could go back to the village," Link suggested. "Let me take care of the swamp. I wouldn't want you to get kidnapped again, or hurt this time."

Link thought he was doing the right thing, worrying about Marin's safety. When he turned around to see her off, her head was hanging, her gaze turned towards the ground. Instantly he panicked, thinking he might've said something wrong again.

"Marin?"

"There's something touching my ankle," she whispered, trying her best not to move. Link also remained perfectly still, trying to identify what was in the water by Marin's foot.

He drew his sword carefully, making as little noise and movement as possible. The fear on Marin's face motivated Link further, and sharpened his vision. He thought it was a snake, putting Marin at further risk.

"It's too close to your foot," he said, unsure how to proceed. "If I try to cut it, I could hurt you."

"I... I trust you, Link," she said, panic gripping her voice. Even if she trusted him, he wouldn't dare try anything that might injure her. There was one other option.

"Don't move," he commanded. Marin nodded, and Link bent his knees to approach the surface of the water. He submerged his right hand, and churned the water around him. Sweat formed on his forehead and around his eyes, but he kept flailing his hand in the water. Though he was steeled to be bitten by the snake, it didn't make the anxiety go away.

After a few tense moments, he felt something slither past his hand. In one quick jerk, he yanked his hand out of the water with the snake. He looked to the creature in his hand, only it wasn't a snake. It was a vine, which wrapped around his wrist and dragged him backwards. Link dropped his sword in the confusion, and felt his body get dragged through the muddy water away from Marin.

"Link!"

Marin ran after him, picking up his sword along the way. Unaccustomed to wielding the weapon, she dragged it through the mud at her side with one hand. Just ahead, Link could hear her muffled screams, but was unable to break free from the grip of the monstrous vine.

When his body crashed against something hard, Link scrambled away from the scene, wiping the mud from his eyes to see what had happened. A dozen vines swung about in the air above a massive flower. The plant leaned towards Link, opening up as if to bloom to reveal several rows of razor-sharp teeth. The flailing vines swooped down towards Link, roping him in by the arms and legs.

"Link!" Marin's call drew his attention.

"Marin, RUN!"

The flower took notice of the girl, and commanded what few vines it had left to grab her, as well. Link had only seconds to act.

"Marin, don't drop the sword!" At Link's command, the young woman tightened her grip on his blade. The vines wrapped around both her wrists, yanking her up into the air right next to Link.

"Pass me the sword!"

"Okay!" Marin kicked at the air as hard as she could, forcing herself towards Link. Their bodies crashed into one another, and Link was able to wring the sword from her hands. Though the blade was in his right hand, he could still try to cut the vines around him. The flower took notice of Link's increased struggle, and released him. Link fell into the gaping maw of the carnivorous plant, but he did so headfirst with blade brandished.

The flower let out a cry as the steel cut into its nether regions, and more agonizing screams as Link hacked away at its innards. Within seconds, the flower lost all strength, causing its teeth-lined petals to fall flat into the mud around it. The vines holding Marin in the air went limp, dropping her below. Link dropped his sword and caught the girl falling from the sky, though the impact caused his knees to buckle and force him on his butt.

When the heat of the moment had died down, Link looked to Marin in his arms. Her body pressed up against his, he could feel her rapid heartbeat. She could feel his, as well.

"Thank you, Link," she finally said, a blush lighting up her face.

"I should be thanking you. If you hadn't brought my sword..." Link replied, his voice trailing off as his mind began to imagine the horrors of the scenario. Marin smiled at him, rewarding the green-clothed youth with a kiss on the cheek.

"And you wanted me to go back to the village."

Link laughed, realizing his error. Once the two of them were out of the plant monster's corpse, Marin pointed out the entrance to the ruins they were looking for. Had they not been pulled towards the monster, they never would've found the entrance, which was tucked away behind the flower.

Marin's dress, as well as Link's entire outfit and face, were filthy. Still, the smile on her face as she stood by the entrance to the ruin was as beautiful as ever to him. As Link passed her by, a few other words escaped his lips.

"You're a lot heavier than you look, you know." And again, his just reward was a jab to the shoulder.

~o~

The ruins in the swamp were known as the Bottle Grotto. Unlike the Tail Cave, this place wasn't as large, so exploring wasn't an issue. They did have to find a means to open the large stone door blocking their path to the chamber with the instrument. Link tried a couple times to force it open with his bare hands, but to no avail. Normally, he wouldn't have tried something so pointless. With Marin next to him, however, he felt the need to try and show off. All it got him was a dull pain in the back.

"The door doesn't even have a keyhole," Marin pointed out. "How are we supposed to open it?"

"The door in the other dungeon opened when I killed the Moldorm. Maybe this one will unlock when I defeat the nightmare of this place?"

Marin took a moment to look around the room, but saw no giant monsters, or signs of giant monsters. The only other thing in the room with them was a ceramic pot bigger than Link himself. Marin walked over to the pot, and knocked on it. From the sound it produced, it was hollow.

"Link, you think there's anything inside here?" Marin jumped as high as she could to peek inside the pot, but she couldn't reach.

"It's hollow, isn't it?" Link moved up next to her, and knocked on the pot as well. Far as he could tell, it was hollow.

"But there might be something small inside." Marin insisted. "Like a key or something!"

Link sighed, knowing that wasn't likely. From his experience during his first journey in Hyrule, the keys to the important doors wouldn't be right next to them. Still, this wasn't Hyrule...

"I'll take a look," he said, ready to make use of the feather to leap into the pot.

"Wait!" Marin said, clutching onto Link's shirt. "Can I look inside?"

"What? Why?"

"I want to help, too! Come on, please?" Another sigh came from Link, finding himself unable to turn down her request.

"Sure thing," he conceded. He dug into his pocket to retrieve the feather, and handed it to Marin. "Just hold onto this, and jump as high as you can. Be careful not to hurt yourself, okay?"

"I'll be okay!" Marin held the feather tightly in her hand. After a few deep breaths, she did as Link instructed, and leapt into the air. It was startling at first, being able to soar into the sky so effortlessly, but she recovered quickly and landed on the edge of the pot. She could hardly contain her glee.

"This is amazing," she said, trying to keep her balance on the pot. She turned around and looked down at Link, who strangely enough wasn't looking up at her. "Link? Is something wrong?"

"N-No! Nothing wrong," he said, keeping his gaze fixated on the ground. "Is there anything in the pot after all?"

Forgetting about his odd behavior, Marin turned around and looked into the pot. Like she had guessed, there was something inside, covered in a layer of dust at the bottom. She jumped inside to fetch whatever it was, finally allowing Link to look back up. What he dared not mention was that when she climbed up there, Link was given a momentarily clear view up her dress. How she hadn't pieced it together was fortunate, frankly.

"Link! It's a key!" Marin's voice echoed from within the pot.

"Good! Bring it out here and we'll see where it fits!"

Again, Link kept his view on the stone door as Marin made her way out of the pot and back down to the ground. She handed Link the feather and key, both of which he tucked back into his pockets. With nothing else to do in that room, they took to exploring other parts of the cavern.

The halls were covered in overgrowth, a rancid odor of still water and humidity their only comfort. Not that they smelled any better, their clothes and bodies were still covered in drying mud. Oddly enough, there was not a single monster or other living thing anywhere in sight. This was a good thing, of course, yet it only made Link all the more anxious. After exploring a few different hallways, each of which ended in a collapsed ceiling, they found one with a sealed door. A single keyhole was the only indication it was a door and not another wall. Link took the key Marin found and undid the lock.

On the other side, there were dozens of pots similar to the one in the other room, albeit smaller in size. Link kept his hand on his sword the entire time, and asked Marin to stay close until he was sure the room was safe. A quick search proved there was no one else living or dead in the room.

"That's strange," Link said to himself, sheathing his blade. "Where are the monsters?"

"Why would you want them? It's better this way, right?" Marin looked past the pots in the center of the room, trying to see what they were hiding. "There's something there, Link."

Link kneeled down to peek through the crack between two pots. There was a wooden chest there, begging to be opened and plundered. Link tried to push one of the pots out of the way, but they were too heavy.

"Looks like I'll have to jump over them. Marin, wait for-" Link stopped as he caught a glimpse of Marin's foot disappearing into the space between the two pots. He ducked to see what she was doing, and saw her open the chest.

"It's a bracelet, Link!" She ran back over to him, and passed the bracelet through the space to Link. He inspected the item, finding a Triforce of all things etched into it. Wasting no time, he slipped it onto his wrist. Instantly, he could feel unmatched strength flowing through his arms, not unlike the gauntlet treasures found in Hyrule.

"I think I know what these might be for." Link watched as Marin crawled back through the space between the pots.

"Really?"

To demonstrate, Link rubbed his hands together before gripping onto one of the pots. He exhaled slowly, then put all his strength into lifting the pot. It was heavy, but Link managed to pick the thing up and hold it over his head. Marin was left in awe as Link threw the pot to a side, smashing it into a million pieces.

"That was amazing!" She managed to say, staring at the pile of rubble that had once been a pot Link's size.

"Come on, I think I know how we'll be opening that door!" Link grabbed Marin's hand, leading her back to the room with the giant pot and the sealed stone door.

Once there, Link told Marin to stand back. He grabbed hold of the pot just like before, and hoisted it over his head. This one was larger than the other, but even then the weight difference was hardly noticeable. Link aimed the throw carefully, and lurched forward, releasing the pot.

With a loud crash, it collapsed the stone door, shattering the pot in the process. Just beyond was the chamber with the instrument. Marin gave Link a small cheer for his hard work before running ahead to collect the instrument. Just after Marin had entered the other room, a dark mist formed from the debris of the pot. It took the form of a bloated man, his face painted like a clown.

"You've destroyed my home," it said in a thunderous voice. "Now I shall destroy YOU!"

Within seconds, fireballs formed in the apparition's hands, and it launched them at Link. The young man dodged to the side as quickly as he could, just barely avoiding the blasts. He drew his sword and shield, just in time to block another of the incoming balls of flame. Link pushed forward, the strikes from the magical fire getting hotter as he got closer to the genie. Once he was within reach, he swung his sword, but the blade went right through the genie's body.

"Your physical weapons cannot harm me, boy!" He bellowed, followed by an uproarious laugh. Link swung one more time to be sure, and was then forced back as the fiery assault continued. It was starting to feel like his shield couldn't take much more damage, when he heard something from behind the genie.

The attack stopped, and both of them looked to Marin, who was playing the Ballad of the Wind Fish on the new instrument. Link was about to warn Marin to get to safety, when he realized the genie was losing cohesion. The instrument in Marin's hands was glowing, and that light was enough to dispel the evil apparition. With a loud roar, he exploded into a shower of sparkles. When the dust settled, Link walked over to Marin.

"How did you know that would work?"

"That the instrument would defeat the monster? I didn't," she confessed, a big smile on her face. "But I had to try. You weren't doing so well."

Link sighed, thankful for Marin's help. He sheathed his sword, and this time, he was the one planting the kiss on Marin's cheek.

"Guess I owe you my life twice over, now."

"Well, since you saved me once so far, it's only one you owe me," she corrected with a giggle. "Now, why don't we head back to the village? It'll be dark soon."

Link nodded, and made for the exit along with Marin. She was the first out the door, and just as Link was about to leave after her, he felt something behind him. He turned around, and saw the owl from the Tail Cave again.

"Hoot... the Prairie, young lad. You'll find the next instrument there." It said, before taking flight and leaving through a small hole in the ceiling.

Why was that owl helping him, Link wondered...


	6. Ukuku Prairie

Chapter 6

Ukuku Prairie

Tarin was overjoyed to see both his daughter and her stalwart protector when they returned to the village that evening. Of course, now that they had arrived, and looking the way they did, Tarin demanded an explanation. The day before had been explained by Link's sword, but why would they be visiting Goponga Swamp? Link had prepared a little white lie regarding a few monsters and a neighbor's stolen dog, but Marin didn't give him the chance to use it.

"We went to the ruins in the swamp, Dad." She said straight to the point. "We were looking for the Instrument of the Sirens that's hidden there."

"What? Why in the world would you be looking for those things?" Tarin had to sit down upon hearing this. Again, Link was ready to step in on Marin's behalf, but the girl did not budge an inch Nor look back at Link for help or away from her father to come up with an excuse.

"Link wants to leave the island," she started, keeping her voice as calm as possible, "and since I know where they are, I'm helping him find them."

The silence to follow was tense as Tarin rubbed his forehead. Link wasn't sure if he was trying to make sense of what Marin had told him, or if he was trying to find a way to put a stop to their activities. Should that come to pass, Link was perfectly willing to continue the quest on his own.

"Are you sure," he finally said, worry in his eyes, "that this is what you want to do, Link?"

Link wasn't sure how to respond. Why would Tarin ask such a question? Of course he wanted to return home; who wouldn't? It wasn't that Koholint Island was such a terrible place to live, it's just that Link did have a family and a life back in Hyrule. At the very least, he needed to return to let them know he was alright. He had no intention of leaving the island forever, especially knowing what he'd leave behind. One look at Marin was enough to convince him of that.

"I have to go back," he answered. "At least to let them know I'm safe. Marin said I couldn't leave the island unless I woke the Wind Fish, so that's what I have to do."

"Would it be so terrible to ask for you to stay here?" Tarin's question made Link uneasy.

Marin had been the same way yesterday. All of Link's early attempts at finding a way off the island were met with denial, as if they didn't want him to leave. If they both knew that waking the Wind Fish was the only way off the island -as did everyone else apparently- why hadn't anyone tried before? Was there some unknown consequence to waking the Wind Fish, something even they did not know? Or didn't dare say?

What made Link even more uneasy was how his mind was entertaining the possibility of staying on the island. Why did he have to return to Hyrule? Was it really so necessary, so important that he let Zelda know what happened? One look at Marin, her bright eyes screaming louder than words could ever muster, almost convinced him it wasn't so important after all.

"I..." Link paused, unsure what to say. For the first time in his life, he was truly lost.

"Take your time, son," Tarin said, ripping Link from his thoughts. "You don't have to answer right now."

~o~

"I appreciate your coming so far to rescue me. As I thought, you are the legendary Hero."

Zelda's words echoed in Link's mind. After weeks of exploring the hostile Golden Land, twisted by Ganon's evil desires, he had finally saved the Princess. Her words of gratitude eased his troubled heart, but only for a moment. There was still one final task Zelda had to ask of him.

"Take seven crystals to Ganon's Tower. Our combined power will break his barrier. Let us return peace to Hyrule and bring back the smiles of the people!"

At the time, Link had no objection. His journey had caused him pain unimaginable by most anyone in the world, and the turning of his former ally into an adversary had been the final straw. Ganon's evil, through Agahim's words, had twisted Ghanti's mind beyond salvation. He was forced to strike her down at the Village of the Thieves, alongside her caretaker Blind. He, too, had worked to corrupt the young girl's mind. This wasn't just about saving the world and being a hero. It was about revenge.

"May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce."

Courage.

That was his strength. That was his role in the eternal trifecta that is the Land of Hyrule. The Courage to defeat the immense Power of Ganon, which would seek to dominate the Wisdom of the Princess Zelda, which in turn would guide Link's Courage. This was all preordained by the Goddesses thousands of years before they were born. It was inescapable.

Why, then, was Link so keen on returning to Hyrule? Koholint Island was separate from that, a world fashioned not by the will of the Goddesses, but by a different deity. A world lingering in an eternal dreamlike state, where Link was the true nightmare. He was out to disturb the island's tranquility, he was the one trying to wake the Wind Fish.

Then it hit him.

Both Marin and the owl had said the same thing. To escape the island, he must wake the Wind Fish. If this was the only way to escape Koholint Island, what did that mean for the island itself? Why was the only means to escape the island to wake the Wind Fish? What was stopping Link from fashioning a boat for himself and sailing into the sunset? He needed an answer.

"Link?" Marin's voice gently penetrated his web of thoughts. He turned to look at her, her face gripped by sorrow.

"Marin, I need to ask you something." His voice was calm, and that only made Marin's panic worse.

"W-What is it?"

"Is there a shrine around here? A temple of some sort we could visit?" This island bore several similarities already to Hyrule, it wouldn't be out of the realm of probability that it had temples dedicated to island lore.

"Yes," she quivered. "There's one past the Ukuku Prairie, on the other side of the island."

"Is this the only temple on the island?"

"Yes, all the others are in caves like the ones we've been to." That settled it. Link's answer would be there.

"Can you take me there tomorrow? There's something I have to see." Link's request only made the girl's heart heavier with worry.

"You still plan on waking the Wind Fish, right?"

"No," he replied, surprising the girl. She looked into his eyes, seeing a fierce resolve, but she couldn't be sure of what.

"But I think I'll know what to do after I go there. Will you help me?"

Marin nodded, choosing to trust Link one more time. Link smiled at her, and took hold of her hand. Rather than look up at the night sky, he took her around the house and stared at the giant egg on the mountaintop. Until recently, that had been his goal. The Wind Fish would take him back to Hyrule. Now, he wasn't so sure. He needed an answer to that one question everyone seemed to dodge.

"What do I tell father?" Marin's voice was weak. Link squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"Tell him... we're going on a picnic." His answer stunned her even more.

"A picnic?"

"Yeah, a picnic on the prairie. No dungeon exploration or instrument hunting, just a nice meal under the warm sun. Just the two of us."

Link looked down at Marin, who was blushing profusely. A small squeeze from her hand sealed the deal.

~o~

Tarin didn't object to the idea the next morning. Perhaps he thought they were lying, or perhaps he figured Link still needed a bit more time to think things over. Either way, he saw the two off with a smile. What Tarin didn't know was that Link had left behind his sword. The island was peaceful before he arrived, so maybe if he did his best to blend in, the monsters would also go away.

A cool breeze blew across the Ukuku Prairie that morning. The grass and what few trees there were danced about in the wind, while the sun brought warmth and color to everything. It reminded Link of his home back in Hyrule; green pastures that prior to Zelda's call for help, were a paradise. The more Link thought of Zelda as the cause for everything, the more he leaned towards remaining on Koholint Island.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Marin stretched out her arms, allowing the breeze to blow all across her body. Her hair flowed in the wind like a wave, and when she turned to look at Link directly, his heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, it is," he said, breathing in the cool air.

"It's always like this, you know? The winters here never get too cold. We could come out here everyday, if you wanted."

"I'd like that," he said, walking up next to her. Marin brought her arms close to her body again, feeling a bit awkward standing so close to Link. "How far is the shrine?"

"Still a bit far," she said, pointing out towards the horizon ahead of them. "There's a river we'll have to cross first. I know a small grove nearby where we can rest along the way, and even stay there if it gets late and we can't make it back to the village."

"You think it'll take that long?"

"Depends how long we stay at the shrine," she said. She looked at Link's back, seeing his shield, but not his sword. "Link, what happened to your sword?"

"I left it in the village." Marin's eyes went wide.

"What? What if monsters attack us on the way?"

"What would you do, if I weren't here?" The question Link posed in return stunned the girl. She took it in a different context.

"I don't know... what I'd do, if you weren't here," she whispered, face looking towards the ground. Link brought it up to his eye level and smiled at Marin.

"We'll run away, together," he whispered back.

He took hold of Marin's hand, and started walking forward. The prairie was quite expansive, but Link didn't mind at all. He had walked far greater distances in the past, oftentimes in a sprint to avoid being killed by Ganon's minions.

This, on the other hand, was a stroll through a gentle meadow with a lovely girl at his side. A girl he was close to believing he was in love with.

~o~

"This is it!"

Marin ran into the circle of trees by the river's edge. The shade provided by the small grouping allowed for only a small circle of sunlight in the middle, making it the ideal place to rest before pressing onward. Link nodded as he approved of the place, then turned to Marin. She was standing directly under the sunlight.

"What do you think?" Her smile was perfectly illuminated, and her eyes glistened in the sunlight.

"You're beautiful," Link said without realizing. He didn't make an effort this time to correct himself, though Marin couldn't help but blush a bit as she looked away and played with her red hair. Though she was a sight to behold, something else caught Link's eye in that grove.

"Hold this." He handed her the picnic basket he had been carrying all this time. He walked past her to just under one of the trees. There, growing proudly in a patch of sunlight, was a bright red flower. He carefully cut the stem, leaving enough of it on the flower for what he intended to do. He showed the flower to Marin.

"That's a hibiscus! They only bloom here on the prairie in the summer, but they're pretty hard to find." She inspected the flower closely, when she noticed the slightly longer stem. When she went to make it shorter, Link took back the flower.

Link brushed back Marin's hair on her left side, tucking it behind her ear. He then placed the flower there to hold back the hair. Though it was almost camouflaged by her hair color, the yellow pistils of the flower stood out vibrantly.

"What do you think?" Link used his shield's Triforce marking, a reflective surface, as a makeshift mirror for Marin. She adjusted the flower in her hair until it was perfect.

"I love it," she replied with a smile.

"The perfect summer blossom."

Link could have been talking about the flower, or Marin, or the combination of both. Regardless, it didn't matter, the message got through to her. Gently, she pushed away Link's shield, and came in close to his face. Hers was still a shade of pink from the blush, but it didn't matter. Link dropped the shield to a side, and moved in close to her, as well.

Their lips touched for only a fraction of a second before they pulled away from each other. Both their eyes opened, gazing directly into each other for a matter of seconds, before closing again. They moved in close again. This time, their lips made contact, and stayed in contact. It was as if time had stopped all around them.

~o~

An orange sun would be their light source that afternoon. The temple Marin had talked about was more a pile of rubble than anything, with only a handful of pillars still standing. Adorning each of these pillars was a face; not a monster's face, but a human face. And that only made it more unsettling for the two as they explored the region.

"Dad called it the 'Face Shrine'," Marin said, clutched to Link's arm as they walked through the maze of rubble.

"Original name," he commented, before nearly running face first into... well, another face.

"There's a small shrine right over there," Marin said, pointing just beyond the next pile of debris. "This is actually one of two places like this."

"What do you mean?" Link stopped cold.

"Well, this is what you wanted, right? But on the other side of that river is another place almost identical to this one." Marin pointed to the north, and Link's eyes followed the direction. As she said, on a cliff past the river, there was another pile of rubble covered with faces on the remaining pillars.

"What's over there?"

"The other 'Face Shrine'," she explained. "One of the instruments is locked away in there. But to open that door, someone needs to flip a switch on this side."

"Marin, is there anything else in this place?"

The girl shook her head, only to contradict herself a second later.

"Oh! There's a big old picture in this one, I think. Dad tried to read it, but he couldn't understand it." That's what Link wanted to hear.

He hurried around the pile of rubble, up the stairs, and stopped in front of the entrance to the shrine. It was pretty dark inside, and the dimming sunlight wasn't helping. If there was something for him to read there, he didn't want to wait until tomorrow to get a chance.

"Marin, wait here. I'll just take a quick look and be right back, okay?"

"But-" She was about to protest, but something inside stopped her from putting up a fuss. She nodded silently, and began to twiddle her thumbs. Link gave her a smile, and entered the shrine.

He moved quickly but carefully, eager to get to the mural at the end of the shrine before the sunlight vanished for the day. He wiped the layer of dust covering the mural with both hands, revealing a picture of a giant fish. Right next to it were some words, so Link cleared that part of the mural next. The passage etched into the wall was brief, but what it had to offer didn't require much explanation. His eyes glossed over the message, written in an archaic alphabet of Hyrule, as if to ensure only an outsider could read it.

"'To the finder," Link read aloud, "the isle of Koholint is but an illusion. Human, monster, sea, sky. A scene on the lid of a sleeper's... a sleeper's eye'."

He couldn't believe what he was reading. There was one more passage.

"'Awake the dreamer, and Koholint will vanish, much like a bubble on a needle'... N-No..."

Link had to read the passages again, certain he must've missed something. They didn't change, nor disprove what he read the first time.

"An illusion...? A... a dream?" He uttered in disbelief. His eyes stared at the last part of the message, only to see one last line still partially hidden under dust. He wiped it away, and read aloud the words inscribed there.

"'Cast-away, you should know the truth'."

The words were mocking him. He turned away from the inscription, and saw one final part of the mural still concealed. He cleared it with his hands, and saw a picture of a familiar animal. It was an owl, surrounded by leaves in the wind.

"Hoot... you should not have come here," came the familiar voice from above. Link looked up, seeing the owl perched on the edge of the hole in the shrine's ceiling.

"Who are you?"

"Hoot... I am the Wind Fish. My body remains trapped in an eternal dream atop Mt Tamaranch, so I use this owl as a guide to cast-aways. I guide them to salvation, both theirs and my own."

"You mean I wasn't the first person to be stranded here?" The owl shook its head.

"There have been others. All have perished before the nightmares."

"The monsters?"

"The nightmares are nothing more than figments of my dream. They became aware of the truth of their world, and were twisted by the knowledge. They seek to keep me in slumber so that they may live on."

"And what happens if I wake the Wind Fish? Inside the egg?" Link almost feared the answer to follow.

"Koholint Island will vanish. It is merely a dream."

"And the people here?"

"They, too, will vanish. They are only fabrications of my deep slumber."

That meant... that Marin would also disappear.

"Is there any way to take Marin with me?" Link asked the owl, hopeful.

The owl shook its head.

"What if we both woke the Wind Fish together?"

Again, the owl denied.

"Is there anything I can do to save her?"

"There is nothing to save. She is a part of my dream."

That knowledge made Link's legs go weak. He dropped to his knees, the reality of everything finally sinking in. His very intrusion into this world had doomed Marin, the girl for whom he had fallen. He couldn't let it come to pass.

"Is there anyway to save Marin?"

"Hoot, there is no reason to save what never existed."

"She exists for me," Link said, his anger rising. He looked up at the owl. "If I don't wake the Wind Fish, what'll happen to her?"

"Hoot... if you don't wake the Wind Fish, you will also become part of this dream. If you do not succumb to the same fate as the nightmares."

"You didn't answer me: what will happen to Marin?"

The owl looked onward. Its face betrayed no emotion.

"Hoot... nothing."

Link breathed a sigh of relief, and with it his anger dissipated. Somehow, he knew the owl had already pieced it together itself.

"I'm sorry," he told the owl, rising from the ground. "But I must ask you to dream a while longer."

Link walked out of the shrine, leaving behind his guide. He no longer cared what happened to the Wind Fish, nor did he care to return to Hyrule. He only wanted one thing.

Outside, the stars were beginning to make themselves visible in the sky. Marin was patiently waiting for him.

"Well? What did you find?" She asked, eager to know.

"I'll tell you later. Let's go."


	7. Toronbo Shores

Chapter 7

Toronbo Shores

Link and Marin sat down on a collapsed palm tree by the ocean. After the events at the Face Shrine, Link remained eerily silent the rest of the night. Marin consistently tried to get him to talk, but Link said little in return, and nothing about what he had seen in the shrine. Marin was fearing the worst, that he would continue his push to escape the island, no matter what.

They spent the night in the grove, though in truth neither slept. Marin was too worried about Link, and Link was too busy thinking about how to best approach Marin regarding what he had learned from the owl. Should he tell her that the island was a dream? Would the knowledge really cause her to become one of those nightmares guarding the instruments?

The question kept Link up the entire night.

The next morning, Link led Marin by the hand back across the Ukuku Prairie. The entire time he didn't say a word, but rather than return to Mabe Village, he turned south towards the beach. He had finally decided on what to tell her, and the best place to tell her. Marin was just as silent the entire time, her heart rushing the entire trip.

"This is where we first met," Link finally said, watching the orange ocean ahead of him. It was a grueling hike across the prairie, but he managed to arrive just on time to see the sun set on the ocean.

"Y-Yeah," Marin answered. "But we didn't actually speak until you woke up at my house."

"I learned something at the Face Shrine, something that had me up all night thinking." Link's words struck a newfound fear in Marin's heart.

"R-Really?" Her voice was trembling, and Link noticed. He took hold of her hand, an effort to assuage her fears.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," he said, taking a few deep breaths himself. Any way he looked at it, it was bad. Well, almost any way.

"So, what was it?"

"The Wind Fish... it's a myth." Link's lie seemed to silence everything around them. Marin didn't notice, but Link felt the presence of the owl nearby. He also noticed when the bird took flight.

"You mean, the instruments...?"

"They're magical, sure, but the Wind Fish itself isn't real. The mural in the shrine said so." Marin couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"But what about the egg? Why is it there?" She was desperate to disprove Link, but it's not like she had anything to back up her desire.

"I don't know," he said, turning to look at her directly, "but does it really matter anymore?"

"I-I thought you wanted to leave the island!"

"Would it really be so bad to live here with you?"

Link's words pierced through Marin. Her face went red as she realized what he had just said. Link kept his grip on her hand firm, even as he felt her struggle to get out of it.

"I realized," he continued, "that there was a good reason for me to stay on the island after all."

Marin's heart could probably break out of her chest at this point. Her breathing became heavy, while Link's own heart began to quicken. He felt a million butterflies assault his stomach, but that wasn't about to stop him from saying what he had to say.

"Y-You mean..." Marin stammered, hardly unable to speak.

"Yes. It's you, Marin." Link gently placed his hand on her cheek, feeling its warmth on his fingers.

"I love you."

Marin's eyes began to well up. Before long, she was outright crying, unable to contain her joy. And despite her attempts to look away, Link's hands kept her face looking directly at him. She was finally able to utter the words she had been keeping contained to him.

"I love you, too."

Link smiled, as did Marin. They looked to the ocean for a moment, before turning to each other again. Then their eyes closed, and they shared a kiss.

The wind blew past them, no doubt the work of the Wind Fish itself. Or perhaps it was a small blessing from the nightmares. It really didn't matter anymore to either Link or Marin.

~o~

"We found this, your highness," the guard told the princess, handing over the piece of driftwood. She took it in her hands and inspected it closely, but there was no definitive proof it could be from the vessel.

"Is that all?" She asked, almost insulted they'd bring her such a trifle.

"No, your highness. There was one other thing."

The guard stepped back, allowing another guard to step forward. He also held something in his hands, but it wasn't debris from a possible ship. Princess Zelda took it in her hands, and a gasp escaped her lips. It was a piece of wood, with the letters 'L', 'I', and 'N' etched into it. There was a fourth letter, but the fragment was broken and it couldn't be read.

However, on the other side was the proof she didn't want to see. The Triforce, almost perfectly preserved in the shield fragment. This was all that was left of the ship carrying help for Northern Hyrule, as well as Hyrule's hero.

"How...?"

"There was a storm. The ship was probably lost during it. I'm sorry, your highness." The guard kneeled in her presence, as if that would help matters at all. Still, protocol had to be followed.

"No. Do not be sorry for me," Zelda spoke, turning her back to the guards.

"Mourn the loss of the Hero of Hyrule."


End file.
